The crew of the Northwestern worked the next 3 days straight and loaded the boat. On the way into town the guys played X-box and slept, everyone was excited to call loved ones. Victoria's illness had once again reminded everyone why this job was deadly, not always because of accidents but because how isolated the fishing grounds were. Sig was up in the wheelhouse getting an update from Phil, who'd just started to offload in Dutch.
"Jonathon and Andy are going to the hospital to see her" said Phil.
"When is she going to get out?" asked Sig.
"I don't know, as of yesterday she was still in the ICU" said Phil.
"Still? Jesus, I thought she'd be going home by now" said Sig.
"According to the coastie she was pretty sick" said Phil. "You probably got her off the boat just in time."
"I'm just glad she's going to be ok" said Sig.
"I'll see you when you get to town" said Phil.
"Roger" said Sig hanging up and lighting a cigarette. Norman appeared in the doorway of the wheelhouse.
"Any news?" he asked.
"She's still in the hospital in Anchorage" said Sig. "Jon and Andy are going to visit her, so we can probably send all her stuff with them." Norman just nodded although Sig could see the deep disappointment in his eyes. "Or we could take it to her ourselves, just to make sure it gets there safe and sound."
"Sounds fun, when are we going?" asked Edgar as he popped into the room.
"When we are all done up here" said Sig.
"Do you think she will be able to live without her computer that long?" asked Edgar.
"She's probably climbing the walls without it" said Norman with a smile.
"It's probably a good thing she doesn't have it, she'd probably be setting people's heart monitors off with all the texting" said Edgar.
"Keeping her stuff is just making the hospital safer for everyone" said Sig with a laugh. Edgar and Norman walked downstairs and into the room they shared. They both flopped down on their respective bunks.
"So, I bet your bunk feels huge without Victoria in it" said Edgar. "We should get her a get well soon gift."
"Edgar, you can't set anything on fire in the hospital" said Norman.
"That is not what I was thinking" said Edgar. Norman shot him a look of disbelief before closing his eyes.
"I think she'll probably be home in LA by the time we get everything done up here" said Norman quietly.
"Norman, she can't last more than a day without checking her email she wouldn't go home without her computer. If it takes us too long to get to where she is, she'll come to us" said Edgar.
Victoria sat in her private room at the hospital in Anchorage watching TV. She was thrilled to be out of the ICU, one tube in her arm was manageable. The nurses who'd taken care of her were the same ones that took care of Phil when he was sick. They kept Victoria entertained with lots of stories about him trying to sneak of the hospital to smoke. According to the doctor she was recovering well from the surgeries and she should be able to go home once her course of IV antibiotics was over. Her room had a beautiful bouquet of flowers from Tony, which said he'd be up to visit as soon as he could catch a flight. Victoria couldn't stop her thoughts from slipping to the boats, she wondered how fishing was going. She imagined the Cornelia Marie, Time Bandit and Northwestern would be almost finished with their quotas. Her musings were interrupted by the charge nurse coming in to check on her.
"Victoria, how are you feeling this evening?" she asked brandishing the blood pressure cuff.
"Much better, thank you" said Victoria.
"I have you pain meds for you and I want you to try to get some sleep so I have a little something to help you" said the nurse.
"Ok" said Victoria.
"I wish I had more patients like you, so easy and agreeable" said the nurse. She slipped out into the hall and returned a moment later with two syringes. "Now, you tell me if you have any pain."
"Tell me another Phil story" said Victoria with a smile.
"Oh, I have a good one" said the nurse with a smirk. "He must have called every single boat in the fleet trying to captain all of them from this hospital room. He even brought in maps of the fishing grounds and had them laid all over. When one of us would come in to give him his meds he'd give us a quick tutorial on what he was doing. He is the most driven person I've ever met, he was so determined to work even in here." The nurse stopped talking for a moment and looked down to see that Victoria had already fallen asleep. Adjusting her pillow and tucking her in the nurse slipped out of the room turning off the TV and the light as she left. Victoria should be going home soon, her antibiotics course would finish in the next few days. The nurses were going to miss her, they'd hoped to keep her long enough for the crews to start visiting her. Tony arrived the next day and brought Victoria a huge stack of magazines and crossword puzzle books.
"Vicks, so glad you're alive" he said giving her a gentle hug.
"It's nice to see you Tony" said Victoria.
"You look like you've lost a stone or two" said Tony.
"It's the bearing sea diet, eat as much as you want and still loose weight" said Victoria.
"Thom feels terrible that you got sick" said Tony.
"It could have happened anywhere, nothing I did on the boat caused my appendicitis" said Victoria.
"I know but you were so far from help" said Tony.
"The guys took good care of me. I bet if they had to they would have done the surgery on the boat" said Victoria.
"Oh God, can you imagine. Thank God it didn't come to that" said Tony.
"They would have done it, although I probably would have been cut open with the same knife they use to gut the cod" said Victoria.
"Alright Vicks just stop, I'm going to pass out" said Tony looking decidedly green.
"Sorry Tony" said Victoria completely unrepentant.
"Where are you planning to go when you get released?" asked Tony.
"I need to go back to Dutch to get all my stuff" said Victoria. "Then I'll probably go home, according to the docs it will probably take me a few weeks to recover once I leave the hospital."
"I'll stock your fridge with Ben and Jerry's as soon as I get back to LA" said Tony with a smile. Victoria and Tony spent the rest of the day catching up and discussing the latest Hollywood gossip. He left promising to get her apartment in order for her return home. Victoria spent the next few days working on crossword puzzles and making lists for herself.
Back in Dutch Harbor there was a meeting of the minds going on at the bar. The crews from the Time Bandit, Cornelia Marie, Wizard and Northwestern were all gathered around a few tables discussing their favorite assistant.
"We really need to find out when she's getting out of the hospital" said Phil.
"I'm on it" said Josh pulling out his cell phone. Everyone else at the table looked surprised. "What? Dad was in the hospital for almost a month, I have the number on speed dial." Josh stepped outside to make the call where it was quieter.
"All her stuff is still in her hotel room according to the camera guys" said Jonathon.
"I have all her stuff that was on the boat including her precious phone and computer" said Sig.
"I can't believe she didn't take those things with her" said Phil.
"I'm sure if she'd been conscious she would have asked for them" said Edgar. The head of production walked into the bar with Josh following in his wake.
"Hey gentlemen, I heard from a couple of my guys that you were in here" said Mick.
"Mick, have a seat, can I buy you a beer?" asked Keith.
"No thanks, I just stopped in to ask for Victoria's stuff. We just cleaned out her room and Tony tells me she's going to be released from the hospital in a couple of days" explained Mick.
"She's getting out already?! We wanted to visit her in the hospital" said Phil.
"In a couple of days, then she's going back home to LA for a few weeks to recuperate. Although Tony says she's still on board for assisting you guys with the promotional tour. So you guys will see her in a month or so" said Mick.
"Well boys I suppose we have 2 days to get to Anchorage and see her before she leaves or we can just visit her at home" said Jonathon with a gleam in his eye.
"We could ask the nurses to delay her release" suggested Jake.
"Yeah, dad you could call, they all love you there" added Josh. Mick just sat back and listened to the guys discuss their plans, clearly they were determined to visit Victoria. It was probably better for them to see her there rather than giving a bunch of guys prone to practical jokes her home address.
"Why don't I make some calls and see if Tony can keep her in the hospital for another few days" said Mick.
"Thanks Mick, we should be able to get to Anchorage in a day or two" said Sig.
"I better go make those calls. See you later" said Mick heading out the door. Once outside he dialed Tony's number and gave him the heads up. Tony was still in Anchorage and agreed to go to the hospital and let Victoria know what was up.
Two days later the crews were all together again only this time instead of being in a bar they were in a hospital waiting room. The nurse at the desk had been warned of the guys impending arrival however no amount of warning had prepared her for the sheer number of them and the fact that they were all carrying flowers and stuffed animals. They'd been told they could go up only in shifts because the room was small, right now the crews were trying to argue with the nurse that they would all be on their best behavior and only stay for a few minutes. The frazzled nurse finally relented and the whole group walked down the hall towards Victoria's room. Victoria was sitting quietly in her room working on a crossword puzzle when she heard the commotion in the hallway. Tony had told her that she might be getting some visitors today but she from the sound of it the whole crab fleet was outside. Jake and Josh Harris were the first ones into the room, they immediately ran over to her bed presenting her with a bear clutching a red heart and a large bouquet of lilies.
"Victoria!" they chorused as they leaned over to drop kisses on her cheeks.
"Hi" said Victoria. "Thank you for the gifts." Jake moved the bear to give her kisses before putting it on the bedside table and climbing into the bed next to her.
"Jake, get the hell out of her bed" barked Phil from the doorway. Jake moved slowly off the bed and retreated to where Josh was standing at the window. Phil walked over and gave her a gentle hug before sitting next to her on the bed.
"How are you feeling Vicks?" he asked.
"I'm ok" said Victoria. The crew of the wizard entered next giving Victoria their well wishes and a few bouquets of flowers and a very large plush dog that had "It's a boy" on the bone in it's mouth.
"Crosby picked it out for you" said Monty by way of an explanation.
"Thank you" said Victoria tucking the doggie next to her in bed. The wizard said their goodbyes, Keith and Monty had a family wedding to attend and needed to get home to Seattle. Giving Victoria some parting hugs and words they left. The Time Bandit crew was next, Jonathon walked over to Victoria pulling a paper bag out of his jacket.
"This is for later, but keep it on the down low" said Jonathon. Victoria took the heavy bag and looked inside, her eyes widened, it contained a large bottle of Crown Royal.
"Roger" said Victoria tucking it under the blanket. Andy was next, he handed her a Styrofoam container which smelled delicious.
"I figured you haven't had anything good to eat so I brought you something to eat" he explained. Victoria opened the container and dug into the nachos.
"Andy it's soooo good" said Victoria.
"I could hear you say that all day and never get tired of it" said Andy dreamily. Victoria couldn't even give him a dirty look because her taste buds were in heaven. Nick and Jake came in next both snagging a chip before giving Victoria a hug and a kiss.
"Elf, I'm so glad you're ok" said Nick.
"I know, your wife's birthday next month" said Victoria. Nick smiled and dropped another kiss on her cheek.
"Hey, you were wearing the same thing when we put you in the copter" said Jake.
"Very true, but it's been washed so it doesn't smell or anything" said Victoria defensively.
"You still smell great" said Jake with a smile.
"Alright little lady, I'm going to run the kiddos to the airport. We just wanted to make sure you were feeling better" said Jonathon.
"Thanks for visiting, I'll see you guys later" said Victoria. The mass exodus still left Victoria with a pretty full room, all 3 Harris's were still there and Matt, Edgar, Norman and Sig.
"Hey Elf, you look like you could have used a few more servings of food" said Matt.
"It's the bearing sea diet, I'm thinking of writing a book" said Victoria picking up another nacho before offering some to Matt. Edgar pushed Matt out of the way and plopped down on Victoria's bed resting his head on her chest and looking into her eyes.
"I've missed you Elf" he said with a swoon. "The bedroom has been empty without you and Norman has been pouting."
"I can't really imagine Norman pouting" said Victoria. "You're squishing me."
"Can I see your scar?" asked Edgar as he sat up.
"Sure" said Victoria pulling up her sweatshirt and pulling the gauze back from the incision site.
"Wicked" said Jake leaning over to take a look.
"Has everyone seen the damage, so I can put my shirt down?" asked Victoria.
"I think you should just leave the shirt up for the rest of our visit" said Josh. Victoria immediately dropped the shirt over her stomach.
"Those are some interesting colored Northwestern sweats" said Phil. "Does everyone on your boat have them?" said Phil to Sig.
"Negative" said Sig. "Elf is the only person I will ever allow to wear those sweats on the boat."
"Why do you call her Elf?" asked Josh.
"Because she's really good at buying presents" said Edgar. "Plus she could probably fit in a stocking." Sig walked over to Victoria's bed and studied her critically.
"Well I suppose you don't really look worse for wear" said Sig moving Victoria's hair behind her ear. "I'm glad you are ok, you really had us worried out there."
"Thanks for getting me to the coast guard, they said that you guys did everything right" said Victoria.
"I think we should credit Norman and Edgar for taking the best care of you" said Sig.
"What about me, I helped" cried Matt.
"Right, helped me right into a freezing cold shower" shot back Victoria.
"It probably helped bring your fever down and for a few minutes you completely forgot about your side hurting" replied Matt with a smile.
"Yes but it was because I was naked and freezing" said Victoria.
"Well we can laugh about it now" said Matt with a sheepish smile. Victoria tried very hard to frown but her smile kept peeking through.
"Gentlemen I need to take the patients vital signs" said the charge Nurse. "Phil, it's so good to see you looking so well." Phil and the nurse spent the entire vital sign check chatting while Edgar kept pulling the oxygen saturation monitor off Victoria's finger. The nurse walked out to the nursing station with Harris's in her wake, she had some pictures to show them. Edgar, Matt and Sig walked out to have a smoke leaving Victoria and Norman by themselves.
Norman moved some of Victoria's new stuffed animal collection out of the way and sat down on the bed next to her. He was holding a bag in his hand keeping it just out of Victoria's sightline.
"I have something for you" said Norman.
"Oh really?" said Victoria shyly.
"Yep, I know you'll love it. In fact I'm surprised that you've been able to live without it" said Norman. Victoria looked at him quizzically. Norman pulled her precious laptop out of the bag and set it on her lap.
"Thank you" said Victoria.
"Aren't you going to open it and check your email?" asked Norman.
"I'd rather talk to you" said Victoria.
"Ok" said Norman clearly surprised by her admission.
"How was the rest of the trip?" asked Victoria.
"It went ok, we finished quicker than we thought. The production people kept us update on how you were doing. Edgar wanted to set all your clothes on fire" said Norman.
"Why?" asked Victoria.
"Because he said I was moping" said Norman feeling slightly embarrassed.
"He was going to ruin my clothes because you were moping?" said Victoria.
"Yep, that's kind of how he works" said Norman.
"Good to know" said Victoria. "What are you going to do with your time off before the promotion tour starts?"
"I'm going home to work on my house a little, take some time to enjoy the peace and quiet" said Norman. "What about you?"
"I'm going back to LA, Tony is getting my apartment all ready for me. You know stocking my freezer with ice cream and dusting. You should come visit" said Victoria.
"Why don't you come visit me, you'd probably get more rest" said Norman.
"I don't even know where you live, with my luck it would be on a boat" said Victoria.
"I live on the Northwestern 9 months out of the year, why would you think I'd live on a boat during my time off" laughed Norman.
"I never really thought about it that way" said Victoria. "I guess that was pretty dumb."
"Now you have to come visit, if only to see that it's not a boat. In fact I don't think I even have anything nautical in my house" said Norman.
"I'd love to visit, perhaps I'll get you something nautical" said Victoria. Phil and the boys walked back into the room and saw Victoria sitting in the bed with Norman her computer on her lap.
"Victoria, do you feel like an appendage has returned" asked Phil.
"Yes, like my pancreas is back where it belongs" said Victoria opening up the computer. Norman watched her pull up the internet and open her email.
"I just heard a code blue down the hall Victoria must have gotten her laptop back" announced Edgar as he entered the room.
"Shit, she has 440 new emails" said Norman.
"My aren't you popular" said Sig. "Who are they from?"
"My friends, Helly Hansen sent me a couple, Tony sent a bunch, a lot from facebook" said Victoria.
"We should leave you alone so you can answer your fan mail" said Sig.
"You guys don't have to go, you are the first entertaining guests I've had" said Victoria with a pleading smile. Victoria and the guys chatted for another hour before the nurse told them she was drugging up Victoria for the night.
"Can I give her the shot?" asked Edgar.
"What?! No way. I want to do it" said Matt.
"You are both insane" said Victoria.
Sig asked Victoria "Ok, of all the people in this room who would you trust to give you the shot?"
"The nurse" said Victoria smugly.
"Anyone but the nurse" said Sig.
"Probably Phil, because he's given himself a lot of shots" said Victoria thoughtfully.
"Thankfully I'm here and I'll be giving Victoria her shot" said the nurse as she walked over to the bed. Moving Victoria's arm she brushed against the bottle Jonathon had given her.
"What's this?" she asked.
"It's a gift " said Victoria as the nurse pulled out the bottle of Crown Royal.
"One of you will have to take it home for safe keeping" said the Nurse handing the bottle to Phil.
"Don't worry Vicks, I'll keep it for you" said Phil with a smile.
"Don't tell Jonathon I got it confiscated he'll be so disappointed in me" said Victoria.
"Your secret is safe with me" said Phil.
"Ok boys you have a few minutes before she passes out, so I suggest you say your goodbyes" said the nurse.
"Bye Victoria" said Jake giving her a hug and kiss on the cheek.
"Take care of yourself and call if you need anything" said Josh dropping a kiss on her forehead before handing her the teddy bear they brought.
"Vicks, be careful with yourself" said Phil giving her a lingering kiss on the cheek before whispering "call me when you get to town" in her ear. Victoria gave him a kiss on the cheek and nodded. They walked out the door after saying goodbye to the Northwestern crew.
"Elf, I'm glad your on the mend. Take care of yourself back in LA, don't do anything Edgar crazy" said Matt.
"I'll try to keep my Edgar craziness to a minimum" said Victoria.
"You couldn't even begin to get Edgar crazy" said Sig. "But really, I want you back at 100% when we see you again, because if you think working on the boat is hard just wait until I'm making you get me coffee at 3 am and picking all the red m&m's our of the bowl of candy in the greenroom."
"At least at the end of that kind of a day I won't smell like fish" said Victoria. Edgar picked up her phone and turned it on.
"We put all our numbers in here so you can call us if you need anything" said Edgar. "I'm so glad you are ok. I've never really seen anyone that sick on a boat before."
"Thanks for taking care of me" said Victoria. "I wouldn't be here without all the care you guys gave me."
"Norman, we will meet you in the lobby" said Sig as the rest of the guys walked out. Victoria turned to snuggle up against Norman's chest.
"It's almost like the boat except that the room is rocking back and forth" said Victoria sleepily. The drugs were taking effect and she fought against the pull of sleep.
"I missed you. I was worried about you. I really want you to come visit me" said Norman.
"Did you put your phone number in my phone?" asked Victoria sleepily.
"Yes" said Norman.
"Then I'll call you when I get home" said Victoria her eyes closing against her will. Norman watched as she slipped into sleep her body relaxing into his chest. He held her for a few minutes before laying her back on the pillow and getting out of the hospital bed. He leaned down and gave her a kiss on the lips, reveling in their softness. As he walked down the hall he vowed that next time they saw each other she'd be awake for their next kiss.
A/N: My other stories are not abandoned. I just have a good working outline for this one so a few more chapters will be posted before I return to the other stories. Please read and review.